Good news for Houston foodies: after his short but lauded stint as executive chef at La Balance in Katy, Jose Hernandez has re-emerged in a big way.Houston Business Journal reports that his new place, Radio Milano, opens in CityCentre today. This follows up his temporary role as Etoile's sous chef. It's located in the old Bistro Alex space. Hernandez built quite a fanbase during his stints through the years at Aries, Triniti, Phillipe Restaurant + Lounge and other high-profile restaurants. Want a sneak preview of the food? Check out the slide show at the Houston Chronicle web site.

We haven't tasted these sour cream enchiladas at Hugo Caliente yet, but they sure look good.

Photo by The Epicurean Publicist

Nearby in the Town and Country Shopping Center, Hugo Caliente opened on October 21. Although it's a quick-serve Mexican restaurant, it's not standard fare. Their homepage proclaims:

"We are a Farm to Fork restaurant, which will keep us creative through the different seasons, by using top quality products that are in season, like outside skirt steak, hand picked avocados and fresh, ripe tomatoes." The menu includes all the required Tex-Mex standards, like fajitas, guacamole, nachos and the all-important enchilada combination plates.

If anyone's keeping a running tally of the number of Houston barbeque places shut down by a fire, unfortunately there's another one to add to the list. At least it's only temporary.

An electrical fire damaged Hungry Farmer BBQ at 40 E. Crosstimbers, a Houston establishment since 1975. They are trying to quickly repair the damage and reopen as soon as possible. The owners had this to say on their Facebook page:

"As many of you have heard already, our Crosstimbers location experienced some electrical issues on Friday morning resulting in some minor building damage. We have already started the remodeling process and are working as fast as possible so that we can get back to serving you and your families. We thank you all for your patience and concern, it's so comforting knowing that our loyal customers are willing to help in any way possible. We will keep you posted as to the grand re-opening as soon as we can. Keep us in your prayers and know that Hungry Farmer BBQ is here to stay!"

Hearsay on the Green opened on October 19. They're adjacent to the Embassy Suites Hotel downtown at Discovery Green. The menu includes favorites that will be familiar to patrons of the original location on Congress Avenue, such as The Byrd burger with applewood smoked bacon and a fried egg, chickpea fries and Saint Arnold battered asparagus, as well as a selection of salads, fish entrées and petite sirloin.

Prohibition Supperclub & Bar is slated to open officially on November 2 and begin theater performances in late November. But there are plenty of opportunities for sneak peeks before then. A weekend preview event is scheduled for October 30 through November 1. Resident burlesque troupe The Moonlight Dolls will perform a Halloween-themed show entitled, "The Masque of the Red Death." A buffet will be available each evening, as well as bottle service. More details on the preview night events are available here.

Additionally, Eric Sandler of Culturemap reports that Prohibition has already started beta-testing lunch service. During the first week, which started this past Wednesday starts on Wednesday, October 29, customers are being incentivized to come help out with a half-price lunch discount. There are no cocktails or entertainment yet, but those things will all come in due time.

Culturemap has corrected its post regarding the day that lunch service will actually start, which is not until Wednesday of this week. A visit last Friday during lunchtime revealed that Prohibition is not, in fact, open to the public yet. Houston Press is working on verifying whether lunch offerings will initially be half-price.

Hi Snacks! has relocated to the north side of town at 1960 and Ella. Dieters, this place isn't really for you, unless you want to order the chicken salad. The menu focus is on over-the-top burgers that sound drool-worthy, like the Krush'r with two different types of cheese, jalapeños, bacon chunks and mayonnaise. Additionally, there's a selection of equally calorific fries, like a barbeque beef-topped rendition that also comes with sour cream and, again, bacon. It's a decidedly Mom and Pop shop but you won't leave hungry.

Out in Cleveland (Texas, that is), Bailey's Barbeque had a ribbon-cutting ceremony on October 17, as reported by community newspaper Cleveland Advocate. (They opened quietly in August.) Besides barbequed beef and ribs, the restaurant features smoked turkey breast, peach cobbler and boudin. This sounds like a road trip that needs to happen.

On the horizon: Houston Business Journal reports that Urban Eats on Washington Avenue begins their soft opening on November 12. The bistro will sport a rooftop bar, which sounds like fun. Food offerings include "slow-cooked braised meats, freshly prepared vegetables, bistro salads and daily homemade desserts."

What did we miss? As always, leave it in the comments section and we may include your mention in next week's post!